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Formula One: Sauber unveils new C31 at Jerez

Sauber unveiled its new C31 Formula One contender at a sunny but chilly Jerez in Spain on Monday.

The car was designed and built under James Key. The Englishman left his role as technical director last week, although he remains under contract to the team.

The C31 has the less-than-attractive stepped nose that has quickly become standard for 2012 cars. The team also says that its livery could change as it is still negotiating with sponsors.

The nose on Sauber's 2012 car is similar to the new-look front ends sported by other teams this season. Photo by Adam Cooper

Chief designer Matt Morris, the new technical spokesman of the team, said: “The C31 is revolutionary where we had fresh ideas, particularly at the rear of the car, and it is an evolution where we knew we could carry over certain approaches. We had to improve on the weaknesses we identified on the C30, but at the same time we wanted to maintain its strengths.

“The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago. We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks, with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore, the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the roll-out car.”